Assassin of the Day
by Rickycool
Summary: A young assassin girl was given a mission to assassinate one of the Top Candidates for the 10th Vongola boss. Thinking it would be easy to kill such a young lad, she sets off to Japan. But little did she know, many surprises were laid out for her as she carries out her mission, one of which was a hitman brat's punishment for her for assassinating his student!
1. Prologue

_**Under the sun's illuminating light,  
>Is a silent, golden creature of fright.<br>A stealthy assassin of the bright day,  
>Hiding not in shadows, but the sun's ray.<strong>_

**_Its bright golden fur glitter like pure gold,_  
><em>And its brown eyes are heartwarming, not cold.<em>  
><em>But as soon as it spots its prey that hides<em>  
><em>A coldblooded killer is born inside.<em>  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"Haa... Haa... Haa..."<p>

I panted as I kept on running, trying to keep up with the three silhouettes ahead of me. My eyesight was now getting blurry, and I was sweating bullets like there's no tomorrow. I then winced at the pain in my legs, but I tried to ignore it and continued to run. Those people with the Estraneo guys were chasing us like they were hound dogs chasing rabbits, after hearing the news of Mukuro slaying the entire family. That group was said to be working with the Estraneo, and that there was also a rumor that the leaders of both mafias were good friends. I then heard more rough yells from behind, making me snap out of my thoughts and concentrate on running with the other three.

"Crap, they're gaining on us! Hurry up, Rin!" one of the three silhouettes yelled, glancing back a bit at me, then continuing to run up ahead. "Tch, just after Mukuro-sama got rid of that horrid place, they just had to come at us!"

"Y... Yeah!" I managed to breath out, trying to take up as many breaths as possible.

"So then... What should we do, Mukuro-sama?" the second silhouette asked, glancing at the third silhouette.

"For now, we should just run as far as we could," the other silhouette replied, not looking back. "though it would seem that Rin will be having problems on that."

I reacted at the mention of my name, then noticed that he was actually right. I was already quite exhausted, but the three still seemed okay. I was about to say that I would be fine, when I suddenly tripped, and was about to fall on the ground.

_Tch... I can't... too... tired... O... nii...cha... n..._

I remember breathing heavily when someone suddenly caught me in my mid-fall, hurriedly carrying me on his arms as he started to dart off. I couldn't see that much at that time, since all I could see was blurry images. But I knew who it was. The person who carried me as I panted heavily, caressing me in his arms as if to protect me from harm. I buried my head on his chest, hearing the fast beating of his heart as I held his shirt tightly. The people who were chasing us kept on yelling loudly, signing that they were getting closer. I then closed my eyes, hoping that this incident would be over soon. I opened my eyes again, but only half-closed, and tried to focus my vision on the silhouette's face. I wanted to speak, but the words couldn't just come out. And all I wanted to say was,

_"Thank you, Onii-chan."_

* * *

><p>"Um, Ojou-sama, please wake up," I heard a voice say, and then felt someone shaking my shoulder. "We've arrived at the airport already."<p>

"Ara...?" I breathed out, sitting up slowly as I rubbed my eyes gently. "Neh... Is this heaven...?"

"Um... No, it isn't."

I tilted my head up, adjusting my sleepy eyes with the light. I focused my eyes, and saw an attendant by my side, her hand still on my shoulder. I gave her a confused look, and then noticed that the seats around me were already empty.

"Ah! We've landed, haven't we?" I jumped up, startling the attendant. "We're in Japan, right? Tokyo, Japan?"

"Y-Yes, Ojou-sama. The passengers are leaving right now, but you were still sleeping. So, I woke you up." the attendant replied.

"Thank you for that! Well then, I better be off!"

I then hurried out of the airplane, leaving the startled attendant. I explored the interior of the airport, and managed to get my luggage. The inside of the airport was all high-techy, just as what you'd expect from Japan. After a little sight-seeing, I went out of the airport, walking around a bit till I found myself in an area where there were no people around. Smirking, I adjusted my backpack, and then touched the collar around my neck. In an instant, my ears morphed into golden wolf ears, and a golden wolf tail appeared, too. I then backed away, a couple of meters away from the wall. I crouched down a little, and then, darted towards the wall. Just when I was about to slam against the wall, I stepped on it, and started to run upwards. It took me a while till I got to the top, jumping up from the wall and landing on the roof.

"Phew! Having abilities like this can be useful after all," I grinned, pulling my ears gently. "Anyway, this is quite a view."

I turned to my right, and saw a beautiful view of the morning sky. The sea below glistened from the sun's light, and the sun was just coming up. I sat by the edge of the roof, my tail beating around gently.

_This is so overwhelming... I wish I could see this with Onii-chan..._

As I thought of my brother, I remembered the picture in my pocket, and the mission I was supposed to carry out. I then slipped my hand inside my pocket, and pulled out a picture of a young brown haired teenage boy. I stared at the picture for a while, remembering the conversation I had with my brother on the phone before I came here.

* * *

><p><em>"Listen, Rin! Mukuro-sama told me to give you another assassination mission-byon!"<em>

_"Mukuro-sama did? What is it, Onii-chan?"_

_"It's Onii-sama! Call me Onii-sama-byon!"_

_"Hehe, alright, Onii-chan."_

_"Ugh. Anyway, there's supposed to be a fax machine there, right? Did you get a picture-byon?"_

_"Yeah, I just received it right now. Huh? I'm supposed to kill this kid?"_

_"Yeah. He's from Japan, in Namimori. Mukuro-sama said to assassinate him-byon!"_

_"In Japan? But it's so far away. And the target's just a kid; why do I have to do it?"_

_"Don't talk like you're not a kid, Rin! You're two years younger than him-byon!"_

_"Hmph... But in any case, are you in Japan too, Onii-chan?"_

_"Y-Yeah. The four-eyed kappa, and a stupid girl are here with me-byon!"_

_"A stupid girl...? Then how about Mukuro-sama? He's not with you and Chiku-chan?"_

_"Shaddup, Rin! You'll know when you get here! So, finish your mission first-byon!"_

_"Okaaayyy..."_

_"It's Mukuro-sama's orders, so you can't fail-byon!"_

_"Alright, alright! I'll do this for Mukuro-sama, and for Onii-chan, too!"_

_"That's my sister-byon!"_

_"By the way, Onii-chan, what's this guy's name anyway?"_

_"His name? Hmm... I think it was..."_

* * *

><p>I averted my eyes from the sea and towards an airplane, which just landed on the fields of the airport. I looked at the picture again, then back to the sea, my brown eyes shining from the light. My ears dropped down, and my tail rested by my side.<p>

"Man, I miss Onii-chan so much already!" I voiced out, flailing my feet back and forth. "I better finish this mission quickly, so that I can look for Onii-chan here in Japan."

I then glanced at the picture again, and smirked.

"So then, be prepared to die, Tsunayoshi Sawada."

~?'s POV; A few days later~

"Gokudera-kun, Yamamoto-kun, t-thanks for helping me with the groceries," I thanked the two silhouettes beside me, holding the bulky paper bag in my arms. "Mom's going to make special dinner tonight, so I had to do a little shopping."

"No problem, tenth! I'm always helpful to requests, as long as it's from tenth!" the gray haired silhouette exclaimed, a cheery grin on his face.

Gokudera wore a white printed shirt with an open jacket today, and also khaki pants. His hair was tied up with a plain scrunchie, making him look less scary for some reason.

"Haha! No need to thank, Tsuna! We're friends, aren't we?" the black haired silhouette stated, a calm and easy-going smile on his face.

Yamamoto, on the other hand, wore an orange hooded jacket, and also black pants. He looked as cheerful as ever, and he's been smiling ever since we first met up.

"T-Thanks, you guys."

We were just a block away from my house, when I suddenly heard something whisper in the wind.

_"...Ta...get...c...nfi...d..."_

It was a bit muffled, but I could make out the words that I just heard. _Target confirmed_. I stopped walking, and noticed that Gokudera and Yamamoto did too, assuming that they also heard the whisper.

"Did you hear it, too?" Yamamoto muttered, narrowing his eyes as he scanned the area.

"I'm not deaf, you baseball idiot." Gokudera replied, his eyes also scanning the area.

I just stood quietly, when I suddenly heard another whisper.

_"...C...men...ng...tt..ck..."_

_Commencing attack_. Gokudera and Yamamoto stiffened up, while I just hugged the paper bag in my hands tightly. In a flash, something bright suddenly swept past through me, startling me and making me drop the paper bag I was holding. I fell on my back, and noticed that the paper bag I dropped was sliced into three and that my shirt was cut.

"Hiiieee!" I squealed, holding my head.

"Tenth!" I heard Gokudera yell, putting down the paper bag he was holding.

I just remained in my position, Yamamoto kneeling down beside me as he also placed the paper bag he was holding down. Another whisper suddenly echoed in the wind, making me widen my eyes.

_"...A...tc...fa...d...El...min...tin...h...ndr...nc..."_

_Attack failed. Eliminating hindrance_. I reacted and stood up, but before I knew it, the bright figure from before dashed through Gokudera, who was caught off guard by the figure's speed.

"G-Gokudera-kun!" I yelled, but was too late.

I thought I saw the figure's face, though it was very fast, and that I only got a glimpse of her face. Yes, _her_. I stood there shocked as the figure girl tried to cut Gokudera with her metal claws, who luckily dodged it in time to only have his shirt cut. In another flash, the figure dashed out, like she dissolved in the sun's light or something. I then hurried to Gokudera, who was kneeling down, clutching his shredded shirt.

"Kuh... That was close..." he muttered out, panting lightly. "Damn, this was my favorite..."

"G-Gokudera-kun! A-Are you okay?" I stammered, panicking as I checked if Gokudera was hurt or not. "D-Did you see her? That girl who tried to cut you up?"

"Don't worry, tenth. I'm not going to die by some flashlight girl."

Suddenly there were rustling, and then Yamamoto jerked towards us and jumped on us, pushing our heads down on the ground.

"Look out!"

Just then, the bright figure girl dashed through us again, and then disappeared a split-second later. I almost squealed, but I held it in, and then noticed that Yamamoto had a pained expression on his face. He was still smiling though, but he was sweating lightly.

"Y-Yamamoto-kun...?" I managed to mutter out, crawling out from his grip. "Are... Are you-"

I gasped as I looked at his back, three long cuts from his right shoulder down to the left side of his waist. The cuts weren't deep, but they were bleeding lightly.

"You reckless, stupid idiot! You could have just told us to move!" Gokudera yelled as he both had a worried and angered look on his face, Yamamoto trying to sit up as he still had that smile plastered on his face. "Hey! Don't move around so much!"

"Y-Yamamoto-kun..." I stuttered, shocked at the sight.

"It's alright! These're just cuts; no need to get so worked up about it." Yamamoto exclaimed reassuringly, grinning lightheartedly.

I just looked at him with a worried look on my face, while Gokudera glared at him for his stupidity. We almost forgot about the bright figure girl, when another whisper suddenly echoed. But this time, it was clearer than before.

_"Immob...liz...tion...succ...ss..."_

_Immobilization success_. Gokudera stood up firmly, glaring around the area to see if he could spot the mysterious girl. I just squatted there, holding on to Yamamoto in case he suddenly fainted or something. There was suddenly a giggle, startling the three of us. And then at that time, a figure suddenly appeared like a flash a few meters away from us, and slowly faded to reveal a young blond haired girl, with yellow ninja-like clothes. I panicked inside as I saw what she was holding; a pair of three bladed death claws, one of them having drops of blood dripping from its tips. And did I mention that she had yellow doggy ears and tail? Weird, I know. I looked nervously at the strange girl as I held Yamamoto tightly, who was looking at the girl with one eye closed. Gokudera, on the other hand, was glaring at the girl as he tucked his hands inside his jacket, probably to pull out some dynamites in case surprise attacks would suddenly commence.

"Ara? You guys're pretty good! Regarding your actions just now." the mysterious girl grinned, her hands (or death claws) on her hips. "I knew my Master wouldn't just let me assassinate a weakling! So, please entertain me for a while! And then, after that, please die!"

* * *

><p><strong>Nuh? Ah! Thank you for reading! And then please review. Nothing much to say, but please tune in! ^_^<strong>

**[EDITED]  
><strong>

**Arigatou gozaimasu!  
><strong>


	2. Chapter I: Gokudera VS Flashlight Girl

****Hullo. Sorry for the delay. I put more focus on _Moonlight Howl_ for the last weeks, but ta-da! After _Moonlight Howl_, I managed to release Chapter 1 of _Assassin of the Day_! Please R&R!****

* * *

><p>~Tsuna's POV~<p>

"How's dinner, Tsuna?" my mom asked me, making me tilt my head up.

"It's delicious, mom, as always." I replied, still munching on my food.

"How about it, Gokudera-kun?"

"It's... delicious." Gokudera replied reluctantly, though he hasn't even touched his dinner yet. He touched his head gently as he stood up, where banadages were coiled around. "Hey, tenth, mind if I go outside to take some fresh air?"

"Um... no, I don't mind." I replied, glancing at him worriedly as he trotted over to the backyard.

Mom looked at Gokudera skeptically, and then turned to me with a worried look on her face.

"Gokudera-kun sure is acting strange today." my mom commented. "He must be feeling really worried about Yamamoto-kun."

I felt my heart sink, making me stare at the food I was just eating. We barely managed to get away from that flashlight girl - with the help of Reborn, that is. Thinking of Reborn, I looked over at the backyard to see him with Lambo, Ipin, and Fuuta, while Gokudera was lying around looking at the sky. I then glanced at my torn shirt on the couch, and to my bandaged shoulder, making me remember what happened an hour ago.

* * *

><p>The flashlight girl had already appeared before us, and then fought with Gokudera as I watched with Yamamoto. I gulped as I trembled, shakily holding on to Yamamoto's worn out body. We had to get out of here, and fast! But Yamamoto's condition... It was impossible to escape without restraining the flashlight girl for a while. For a moment, I thought I would have shrieked as I saw the flashlight girl about to cut Gokudera into three, but luckily, Gokudera just managed to dodge her attack and throw a set of small dynamites at her. The small dynamites exploded in a chain reaction, and I couldn't see anything with the smoke around.<p>

_Time to get out!_, I suddenly thought, considering the flashlight girl couldn't see us through the smoke.

I scrambled up and gently pulled Yamamoto up to stand, resting his arm on my shoulders as we started to stagger away from the battlefield. At first, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief as I dragged Yamamoto away from the smoke, but then, to my surprise, a shadow swept past through me, letting that sensation sink.

"Where do you think you're going, Shoku?" a female voice asked. "I can smell you, you know."

I stopped dead in my tracks [no, not literally] as I felt myself tremble, tightly clenching on Yamamoto's jacket. Fear engulfed my body, and it felt like my mind was in chaos from the fear. My mind was racing and I couldn't think straight, and before I knew it, I replied to the girl's question with a really stupid question. "Who's Shoku?"

The flashlight girl laughed, but stopped a second after, though she was still grinning.

"Good one, Shoku." she grinned, the yellow tail behind her wagging.

I couldn't move. Not even an inch. I just stared at the flashlight girl with Yamamoto by my side, noticing the small burns and bruises around her body. So, she hadn't evaded Gokudera's last attack after all. But then it came up to me. Where was Gokudera? Was he hurt by his own attack? Was he alright? I wanted to go and look for him in the smoke, but I couldn't just leave Yamamoto behind, not with the flashlight girl around.

_If only Reborn was here..._, I thought.

"Hey, have you turned to stone already, Shoku? If you won't move, then I'll just- - -" the flashlight girl was about to step forward, when she was suddenly interupted by an explosion.

The sudden burst of noise managed to wake up my dull body, and I managed to shield Yamamoto from the shrapnel flying around. At first, I thought maybe the girl was caught in the explosion, but the thought shattered as I saw a figure jump out of the smoke and land on top of a wall. She was breathing heavily, and she was covered with more ash and dirt. She squatted as she glared at the smoke, trying to scan the area.

"Tenth!" a familiar voice called out. "Are you okay?"

I was about to say I was fine, when I suddenly felt a sudden jolt of pain on my shoulder. I grunted as I saw Gokudera come over, helping me carry Yamamoto. That's when I realized that Yamamoto had been unconscious all this time. I whined as I looked over at my shoulder, and saw that a shrapnel the size of a biscuit was sticking out, slightly tainted with blood. I hesitantly pulled the shrapnel away, making me yelp. I then looked over at the wall where the flashlight girl was resting, but saw that she was nowhere to be found. Panicking, I looked around, seeing that the smoke had already started to clear up. Gokudera was glaring around as we trudged over with Yamamoto still out cold, when a sun's ray suddenly swept past through us, or if we thought it was.

"You caused me quite some trouble." the dog girl huffed, brushing her hair and ears with her hands. "But I expected Shoku to play."

She looked directly at my eyes, making shivers run down my spine. Gokudera growled and held out his dynamites as he stepped in front, leaving Yamamoto in my arms. I shut my eyes and shook my head, trying to shake away the fear. But of course, it didn't help much. I looked over at Gokudera and the flashlight girl, seeing the two glaring at each other, or maybe just having a staring contest with angry faces. I imagined that after two more seconds they would engage another battle right in front of my eyes, but just then, an unpredictable thing happened - - - the flashlight girl suddenly stumbled forward, like a small balloon just suddenly popped in her chest.

Gokudera, taking advantage of the situation, threw a couple of dynamites at her, and I almost wanted to shout at the girl, _'Look out!'_ But, then again, she didn't really need to hear my warning. The next split-second, the flashlight girl looked up, and then the dynamites, in a chain reaction, went _KABOO-BOO-BOOM!_

I shielded my eyes as shrapnel went flying all over, the pain on the back of my shoulder pulsing. When the wind died down, I looked up, and felt relieved to see Gokudera still standing. I meant, still _alive_, mind you. He was breathing heavily, and blood was slowly streaming down on the side of his face, like he was caught in his own attack. His hair and clothes were tattered up and rubbed with dirt, but other than that, he was still alive.

I then looked over at the smoke in front of us. For a second, I thought the flashlight girl was done for, but then, if there was a class for predicting the future, I'd surely get an F. Something - - - or someone - - - staggered away from the smoke, coughing and breathing heavily. The flashlight girl's right forearm was bleeding lightly, and with her other free hand, she grabbed her right arm as if to stop the circulation of the blood. The pained look on her face made me think her right arm was hurt really badly, but as I got a closer look at her injury, it was actually just a minor burn. It made me have second thoughts. She couldn't have been hurt by just a burn, considering that she looked strong enough to get punched in the gut without blurting out even an _'Ouch!'_

"Guh... Stupid chest..." she muttered to herself, then turned to me. As in, _me_. "The game's getting boring. And I'm getting annoyed by the old geezer's fireworks. I'll just have to finish this off then."

Gokudera growled as he stepped between me and the flashlight girl. I didn't know if he was angry that he was called an old man, or that his dynamites were called fireworks. But in any case, Gokudera was clearly pissed off right now. I stepped back a little as I kept Yamamoto's posture up, shivering a bit from fear. The flashlight girl kept on eyeing me for a while, and then turned to Gokudera, scowling. I thought they would melt each other just by glaring, when a gun shot suddenly snapped our concentration away from the battle.

"Stop it," a familiar baby voice said. "we wouldn't want anymore injuries, would we?"

I turned to where the voice was, and saw a certain baby Arcobaleno standing confidently on top of the wall. For the first time in a while, I was relieved to see Reborn in this situation.

"Reborn!" I called out.

The baby smirked at me, and then turned to the flashlight girl.

"So, you are the one." he muttered out, which made no sense to me. "What's your name?"

The flashlight girl just scowled at Reborn, completely ignoring his question. Gokudera, seeing the blond assassin distracted, made his way over to Yamamoto and I, and helped me carry Yamamoto to his feet. Reborn looked just as calm, the flashlight girl's scowl having no effect on him. Even the ears and tail didn't even bother him.

"I'll be back," the flash light girl said. "I'll come back for you, Shoku."

And then with that, she disappeared with the sun's ray.

* * *

><p>I sighed as I leaned on my chair, finally finishing my dinner. After that incident, we managed to convince my mom that we were attacked by gangsters when we arrived home, with Yamamoto still unconscious. He was already losing quite some blood, so we let Bianchi take care of him [after Gokudera had a bad case of stomach ache, and after she took a look at my wound], and they soon went to the hospital.<p>

I was glad that incident was over, though Yamamoto and Gokudera were hurt. I couldn't believe the fact that they were the ones who got hurt more badly than me, since in my opinion, the flashlight girl was probably targeting me, considering that she attacked _me_ first.

Yamamoto had three long cuts, Gokudera was caught in his own explosion, and yet, I only had a cut. That was too much. I wanted to shout, _'This is so unfair! At least punch me in the face!'_ But, of course, I couldn't do that. Not in a million years.

I snapped out from my thoughts when my mom came to fetch my plate, making me almost jump up from my seat. It startled my mom a bit, but then, she just smiled and giggled, and then walked back to the sink. I sighed, and then stood up. I almost fell back down on my seat, since it had been a matter of time before my body realized it was really, really tired. I yawned and told my mom I would go to the bed early, and then went to the backyard to tell the others.

"Wahaha! Tsuna got beat up by mean guys!" Lambo laughed.

Ipin didn't say anything, but she was clearly telling Lambo to stop making fun of me. Fuuta just told me it was a good idea to rest, and Reborn just stayed silent, like he always was when he was thinking or sleeping. And then, unexpectedly, a bubble formed from his nostrils.

_He's asleep alright._, I thought.

I then looked over at Gokudera, who told me to get some rest after that incident. I wanted to tell him needed some too, since he was more badly hurt than me, but I guessed he wouldn't listen to me that much.

And so, I went upstairs and to my room. I thought it would take at least a few minutes till I fall asleep, but as soon as I let my body hit the mattress, I quietly fell asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you for reading. Please review. And also, the <em>Shoku<em>-calling part, it'll be explained. Eventually.**

**_\m/_**


	3. Chapter II: Welcome to Tsuna's House

**Hullooo! Man, long time no see, people! Sorry for the [very] long wait. Anyway, I present you... Chapter 2! Please R&R!**

* * *

><p>I didn't like the dark. I was an assassin, I know. But the dark just really gave me the creeps. It reminded me of memories. <em>Bad<em> memories. But I was on a mission, and I had to finish it fast, so I could see my brother as soon as possible. I quietly slid the window open, and sneakily went inside the living room. The place was dark, and the hairs on the back of my neck were standing.

_Oh God, this place is so dark. I've got to finish this quickly._, I thought, slipping on the night goggles on my eyes.

I scanned the area, and the furniture, floor, wall, and everything looked so weirdly green because of the night goggles. I crept up stairs, careful not to make any sound as I picked one door that I guessed was Shoku's room. I opened it slowly and took a peek, and consecutively felt two feelings at the same time. First was like, _'Jackpot!'_ 'cause it was really Shoku's room and he was sleeping peacefully on his bed, and the other was like, _'Holy fudge! Why this room of all places?'_ since a certain baby was sleeping next to Shoku. I cursed under my breath as I slipped inside, quietly closing the door behind me_._

_Why? Why here? Why not in the basement?_, I ranted in my mind as I crept slowly towards Shoku's bed.

I unsheathed one of my death claws, careful not to get too close to the Arcobaleno. The look on Shoku's face would have been enough for me to crack up, but I held it in for the sake of the mission.

_And my life._, I added.

I placed the death claws on Shoku's neck, ready to decapitate his head any time. That's when it went wrong. I suddenly heard the faint scuffling of a person readying a gun, making me perk my ears up and leap to the side. The bullet missed my head for a millisecond, but it managed to leave a cut on the side of my brow. I landed on the end of the bed and looked to where the bullet came from as I pulled my night vision goggles down, to see the Arcobaleno awake and a gun on his hand. I growled slightly, finally realizing that the shock managed to make my wolf ears and tail appear.

"Trespassing is a crime, you know." the baby muttered nonchalantly, his gun still in his hand.

"Reborn." I scowled, as if his name was the worst insult in the world.

"Yes, and you are?"

I growled, and suddenly darted towards the only window of the room. I was about to do a leap of faith, when a bullet suddenly swept past through me, shattering the glass of the window. The gunshot was obviously not meant to hit me, since the bullet was fired a foot away from my head, and I for one was sure Reborn does _not_ miss.

"What do you want? I'm pretty busy right now." I told the Arcobaleno as I scowled at him.

He just smirked, and then looked up towards the shattered window. Confused, I turned towards the window as well, only to see the face of the old geezer I fought at the street before. I almost yelped as I stumbled backwards, the geezer sliding open the window as he came in. He still had that scowl on his face, and he had a bandage coiled around his head.

"Reborn! At least tell me when you're gonna shoot!" he shouted, not caring that there were people sleeping in the house. "I could've died back there, you know?"

I was cornered. Reborn was up and he was blocking the way to the door, and the old man, who unexpectedly came in from the window, even though the room was two floors above, and was already readying with his dynamites, was guarding the window. I could have just shoved the geezer if I wanted to, but I should know not to turn my back on a very skilled hitman, _especially_ Reborn. I scanned the room to see any more possible escape routes, but no luck. And then, it happened. A natural thing to do when you're asleep while people make noise in your room. I saw Shoku groggily wake up as he rubbed his head, and with no time to waste, I darted towards him, and as I thought, Reborn and the old geezer hesitated on attacking.

"Umnh... What's with the noise...? Gokudera-kun? Why are you-" Shoku mumbled, until he saw me and was about to shriek.

I managed to clamp my free hand on his mouth, muffling his scream as I quickly placed the death claw I was currently holding on his neck.

"Now, drop your weapons or the lady gets it." I warned, situating my death claw under Shoku's chin.

I could feel Shoku got irritated when I called him a lady, with him trying to yell he wasn't one. I just sighed, slowly making him stand up as I stood up as well. The old man shot a death glare at me, while Reborn had his usual poker face on.

"Hey, stupid dog! Let the Tenth go!" the geezer yelled at me, making me scowl at him.

"Shut up, old man!" I barked as my ears leaned back, annoyed at the fact that he insulted me. "My objective is to assassinate Tsunayoshi Sawada, one of the top candidates for the title of Vongola Boss. I can do so freely any time in this situation, so you better watch your mouth!"

That statement was pretty effective on the geezer, since an obvious look of hesitation immediately appeared on his face, making him step back a little. Reborn, however, just remained on his swing bed, as if he was sure I really wasn't going to do it. That really annoyed me, making me grit my teeth and press my death claw a little deeper on Shoku's neck. He panicked as blood trickled down his neck, grabbing a hold of my left arm, which I used to cover his mouth.

_Alright, now that I've got the upper hand, all I need to do now is to plan an escape route._, I thought, scanning around the area as fast as possible. I kept an eye on the hitman and geezer as I fidgeted away from them, edging closer to the wall behind me. _Man, this sucks. A baby with a gun to the right and an old man with fireworks to the left. All I have to do is to get close to the window, but they make it all so hard!_

I suddenly thought of something, something so simple I thought it wouldn't work and that I would probably die. But in this kind of situation, I'd have to think fast, or else a bullet would go straight through my head.

Kill Shoku. Run away via the window while they're in shock. It wasn't a full-proof plan, but it was the best I could come up with. Maybe Reborn would've anticipated it and wouldn't be too shocked, and then before I could escape, he'd shoot me. Assassins never leave a trace behind after their mission, so I guess I'm not as good as an assassin as I thought I was.

_First time..._, I kept on thinking to myself. _First time, first time, first time. Just kill the guy and get out of here._

I breathed in and got ready to press the death claw through Shoku's neck, when unexpectedly, that sudden jolt of pain in my chest suddenly came. I loosened my grip on Shoku and staggered forward, coughing as I tried to cover my mouth.

_Why... Why now...?_, I thought as my vision started to blur.

I then saw a blurry figure run towards me and hit me on the head, knocking me out of my consciousness.

* * *

><p>I groggily woke up from the blinding light, making me flutter my eyes open.<p>

"Ugh... Where... am I?" I managed to mutter out, trying to squirm around. "What... happened?"

As I started to squirm around, I felt like I was lying on something soft, like a bed, and that something was tied around my wrists and ankles. I suddenly came to a sudden realization as I remembered what happened, sitting up as a reflex. But unfortunately, I was tied down, and I couldn't, making me pull the ropes tied on my wrists. I noticed that my ears and tail were still visible, whether they were there long before or they just came out from my sudden realization a while ago. Either way, I was now captured.

"R-Reborn! Sh-She's awake!" I heard a frail voice from the side.

I turned and saw none other than Shoku and Reborn, and also the old geezer. Shoku looked as terrified as ever, Reborn still had that annoying constant face, and the old man had that permanent scowl on his face. Out of habit, I growled, leaning my ears back.

"Hiiee!" Shoku shrieked, but not as loud as he did before.

Reborn walked towards me and jumped on the bed I was laying on, settling himself on my abdomen. He pointed his gun at me, making me hesitate.

"I won't hesitate on shooting you, so you better answer my questions." Reborn declared, making me scowl. Then, he started off with his first question, "What is your name?"

I hesitated at first, but then, I answered, "Rin."

"How old are you?"

"Th-Thirteen."

"Hm... Such a young age to be an assassin, don't you think?"

"No."

"Huh, sarcasm won't get you anywhere. Well then, who sent you here to kill Tsuna?"

"Like hell I'd..."

Reborn suddenly situated his gun under my chin, cutting my statement. I couldn't just tell him I was with Mukuro, or else that would be almost like betraying my family.

"I... I won't tell." I stuttered.

Reborn studied me with his beady black eyes, which were as emotionless as usual. I sweated a little as I got a lot more nervous, with me tied down and all, and three enemies watching my moves.

_Well, from what I've observed, Shoku isn't a calm type of a person in these kinds of situations, so I guess he isn't much to worry about._, I thought to myself. _But, then again, he is a top candidate for the Vongola, so... Agh! I'm overthinking things!_

I snapped away from my thoughts when Reborn suddenly asked his next question, completely ignoring the unanswered previous one.

"Where do you live?" Reborn asked.

"Italy." I replied.

"Specifically?"

"Just Italy. Don't have a permanent place."

"...I see. So, are you infamous there as an assassin?"

I couldn't answer immediately, because of the stupid truth that I... I... Agh! What should I say? Just say no. _No._

"N-No." I answered pathetically.

"Hmn..." Reborn hummed.

I anticipated that the next question was a hard one, and I was bracing myself for it, but then, Reborn suddenly leaped off my abdomen, and landed on the side of the pillow my head was laying on. He motioned his hand towards Shoku and the old man, telling them to come over. As they did, I saw Shoku trembling as he looked at me, and the old man glaring at me.

"I am totally pissed off," the old man threatened. "because of what you did earlier."

I didn't know if he was talking about the incident at the street or when I took Shoku as a hostage, but either way, I just stuck my tongue out at him. I knew I was in no place to act like a child [even though I am], but you know, I just had to do it. The geezer popped a vein, and Shoku was already restraining him from strangling me.

"Now, as your punishment," Reborn suddenly stated, catching our attentions.

He had to breathe in deeply first, and I listened intently on what he was planning to do to me.

"You," he said, his gun turning back to the gecko, Leon. "have to live in Tsuna's house."

_Say what!_

* * *

><p><strong>Ta-Dan! Well now, please review!<em>\m_  
><strong>


	4. Chapter III: Time In Tsuna's House

**Oh. Em. Gee. I finally updated after how many years! Yay! xD And there is only one reason for this: writer's block! Hahaha! x) Wee, anyway, hope you enjoy chapter 3~!**

* * *

><p>It was like <em>hell<em> here. That hitman brat actually told me to stay in Shoku's house. No, not told; more like _ordered_. Can you believe it? I mean, sure, a roof above my head would be nice for a change, but this was the house of my assassination target! I felt so weak and pitied; especially since I failed. _Again_. And here I am, stuck inside Shoku's house, as if Reborn doesn't want me to forget that I failed my mission. Grrr... Curse that little runt. If this was his intention all along, I would have rather been caught by the police. At least then, I could escape from them.

"U-U-Um, Rin-san...?" a shaky voice called out my name as I heard the door open, making me snap out of my grumbles.

I was currently sitting on the carpet in Shoku's room, which came to be my sleeping place. It was right next to the door, which was quite a good distance away from Shoku's bed. And moreover, Reborn's swing was right in between. I then turned towards the voice with a scowl, seeing Shoku in his school uniform, (which consisted of a white long sleeved polo with a blue tie and a dark blue sleeveless V-neck sweater on top, a pair of black pants, and a pair of black shoes) looking all terrified as he stood by the door. I smirked, before asking, "What?"

"W-Well, breakfast's ready." he replied.

It made me perk up. For the one week that I've stayed here, there's at least one thing that I've learned: Nana's cooking is the best. You would think that any decent meal would be the best for me, since I've been a tramp all my life, but no, Nana's cooking is just simply the best. Ever since I first tasted her dishes, I've been eager to rush over for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That was one of the pros in staying in Shoku's house.

"Well, what are you standing there for? Get this leash moving!" I barked, startling the brown haired.

And yes, I said _leash_. A two-meter-long dog leash. Well, they needed something to restrain me since I'm playing prisoner in their house, but of all things, that hitman brat just had to pick a collar and a leash. He even told me that the reason he picked that was because of my strange physique. And I knew he was referring to my dog-like movements and abilities.

Ripping the leash was no option in escaping; Reborn specially made it for me with the skin of his green lizard. I used to try different ways to destroy that leash. I tried cutting it with a simple kitchen knife, burning it with matchsticks, pulling it as I choked myself, and even nibbling it with my teeth. I wanted to try my death claws on it too, but unfortunately, Reborn confiscated all of my weapons and tools. Anyway, as you all know, all of them didn't work. So, technically, I couldn't escape all by myself.

I watched Shoku as he fished a key out of his pocket, his hands trembling as he tried to stick it inside the padlock that connected my leash and the door handle. They couldn't just tie my leash in the handle, obviously, since I could easily untie it and escape. As Shoku unlocked the padlock, I patiently waited on the floor, watching him take the leash on his hands as he pocketed the padlock. I could have escaped; run towards the window and jump out, figuring that Shoku had frail hands and would easily let go of the leash. But I didn't. Why? Well, that's because I actually attempted to do that already days ago. And, as the failure that I am, I failed.

I didn't expect Shoku to have such a fast reaction and strong arms, and I choked myself in my first attempt to escape with Plan A. The second and third attempt was with the old man and Poison Scorpion respectively, and I utterly failed, which resulted to me giving up on Plan A. I haven't tested out Plan B yet, but it was an obvious fail, so I never tried it.

"Alright, food!" I suddenly shouted, quickly getting up to my feet as I scrambled out of the room. Shoku gave a yelp of surprise as I ran past him, and then gave another one as he got pulled by my running, with me holding on to the collar, so that I didn't choke.

I bounded my way down the stairs, and as I landed on the ground, I turned towards the dining table, where Nana, the scorpion lady, the annoying cow, tail head, star boy, and of course, the hitman brat were sitting on their seats, staring at me. I was about to yell, "Food!" once again, but then, got interrupted as Shoku fell down on me, making us tumble on the ground.

"Yaah!"

We crashed on the floor, and even though my sight was a little dizzy, I could see Nana, the scorpion lady, and the star boy come for us. I guess I shouldn't have run that fast; I totally didn't figure that Shoku would skid and crash into me. I groaned as I sat up, and fortunately, my ears and tail didn't reveal themselves. Nana might ignore them, but if she wondered, well, there's no such thing as being too careful, right?

"Tsuna-nii! Rin-nee!" the de la Stella boy cried, helping Shoku and I untangle ourselves. Fuuta de la Stella... He was a very famous kid in the mafia world. With his ranking book (I saw that book with my own eyes, and it was huge! Almost like half his height. I wonder how that book fits in his jacket pocket...), he's got very valuable information. I was shocked to see such a famous person living inside this house; just what kind of person is Shoku?

"Rin-chan, I told you, no running in the house!" Shoku's mother scolded, making me grin sheepishly. Nana helped her son up, who still had a firm grip on my leash, making me grumble. Nana once asked why I was on a leash, and I really thought that she could force Reborn onto releasing poor ol' me. But the hitman brat reasoned that we were playing, _'I'm your pet dog'_, and she totally bought it! Even though Nana is a good cook, she's just as carefree and dense as that so-called baseball idiot.

"Sigh, you should listen to Mama, Rin-chan." Poison Scorpion sighed as she helped me up, taking the leash from Shoku's grip. Another famous person in this house: Poison Scorpion Bianchi. An infamous hitwoman that was said to have associated with the world's best hitman. That is to say, that brat. She's obviously in love with Reborn, but I can sense that she doesn't favor Shoku, for who-knows-what the reason.

As soon as we were okay, we sat by the dining table, ready to eat breakfast. Well, at least, they sat on chairs; I sat on the floor. Reborn said it was supposed to be part of my pet dog-act, which greatly annoyed me. I couldn't protest, however, since I was at their mercy. I stared at the plate and bowl on the floor, on which my breakfast (which was the same as everyone else's) was consisted of a cup of rice, a piece of toast, and bacon and eggs. I stared at my plate for a while, my eyebrow twitching mildly.

No, I did not hate the food; how could I bring myself to hate food? What I was annoyed at was the vandalism on the plate. A word, my supposed name, was sloppily written in romaji on the edge of the plate. The word spelled _RINNY_, but the R was mirrored, and the second N was upside-down. It was written with a permanent marker, so it still hadn't faded (Nana must be frustrated about this). I glanced at the culprit who did this, seeing him laughing obnoxiously as he always does.

"Wahahaha! Dame-Tsuna and Rinny fell down the stairs! How stupid!" the afro cattle laughed, making my veins pop. Reborn introduced him to me as a useless piece of matter that was occupying precious space, and I totally agreed with him. He was part of some mafia family,-the Bovino Famiglia, was it?-as the hitman brat had said, and he said that their boss was overjoyed to hear that Lambo was invited to the Vongola family. Well, sure, I'd understand his feelings about that stupid cattle.

"Stop!" the Human Bomb exclaimed, trying to stop the idiot cow from making fun of me and Shoku. Now, this one... I-pin, right? She's a tricky one. The first time I saw her, my first thought was that she was a big, round ball. I actually pounced on her at that time. And then my second thought, after realizing she was _not_ a ball, was that she was a _he_. Well, everything was sorted out after Reborn explained things to me. She was an assassin from Hong Kong, and she explodes when she's embarrassed. I freaked out at first, of course, but I eventually took a liking to her because of her round shape.

You know, when we're eating like this, Bianchi is always the one holding my leash. Actually, Plan B was supposed to start when Poison Scorpion is occupied with her food in meal times. I figured that since the leash is just sloppily placed around her wrist, when I'd suddenly dart towards the front door to escape, it'd catch her off guard and the leash would just slip past her hand. But, as you all know, I already predicted all other possible things that would thwart Plan B. And that's _a lot_.

Like, what if the scorpion lady actually reacted fast enough and quickly caught my leash? And also, what if I did escape Poison Scorpion's grasp, but then the hitman brat comes and stops me? And then again, what if I did escape Bianchi and Reborn, but then that old geezer suddenly appears from the front door? I noticed that he usually comes here in the morning to walk to school with Shoku, and sometimes even with that naive baseball freak.

"Rin-chan, is something wrong?" Nana suddenly asked, making me turn to her. "You haven't touched your food."

"Oh, it's nothing, Nana," I quickly replied, taking a hold of my chopsticks. "It's just this," I said as I tapped the sticks on the vandalized part of the plate.

The said mother just giggled, making me sigh. I then commenced eating, grabbing the bowl of rice and placing the plate of breakfast food on my crossed legs. Reborn once told me to stop calling Nana by her first name, because it sounded so rude and informal, especially since I was still a kid. He told me I could at least call her _'Mama'_ just like the others did, but there was no way I was going to do that. I liked Nana, of course, but it was just weird to start calling the mother of someone you were supposed to kill, _'Mama'_.

Well, Bianchi said she tried to kill Shoku the first time they met, and she calls her Mama, but I'm not love demented like her! At least I don't call her with rude nicknames and the likes! I call her by her real name, so that's enough respect, right?

"Rinu," a baby voice suddenly called out to me, making me furrow my brow as I gulped down the bacon. I then turned to the brat, a slight scowl on my face.

He always called me _'Rinu'_, saying that it was his nickname for me. He fused my name with the word _'Inu'_, which meant _'dog'_, and it's seriously annoying. He also called Shoku by his school nickname, which he said was _'Dame-Tsuna'_. Blech, I'd rather be called by my real name rather than their stupid nicknames like _'Rinny'_ and _'Rinu'_; they annoy me so much. Hey, I know I call other people names too, and you'd think it'd be alright to also call me names, but it isn't funny when you're the one being teased!

"_What_?" I demanded as I grumbled.

"Why aren't you dressed up for school?"

I paused, and we stared at each other for a while. _School_? What the hell? I looked down at my current outfit, a plain brown shirt and a pair of white shorts (They were Bianchi's, so they were pretty loose), and then glanced at Shoku, who was already done with his breakfast.

"What do you mean... school?" I asked as I turned to Reborn again, a clueless look on my face.

"What are you, an idiot? You're not really that oblivious of the world to not know what a school is, are you?"

"Wha... I'm not a moron, you brat! Of course, I know what a school is!"

"Then why are you asking?"

"I didn't mean it like that! I meant, why do I have to go to school?"

"Oh. Well, you're still a kid and you haven't gone to a school before, haven't you?"

"...Your point?"

"I'm saying, you can go to school, so that Tsuna can learn how to train you. At the same time, it can be good for you, too. I already have your uniform ready up in Bianchi's room."

What the... _Train_ me? What the hell does he think I am, a stray dog? I'm human, unlike him! And how the hell did he get my measurements for the uniform? I got so annoyed at his answer that I audibly growled at him, and that was one of the things I was not allowed to do in the house, as stated by the brat himself. The punishment would always be carried out Reborn-style.

"No growling!" the brat exclaimed, throwing a spoon right at my forehead. I yelped in pain, my head thrown back from the force.

"What the hell, brat!" I shouted, standing up after putting my plate and bowl on the ground with the thrown spoon on my hand. The red mark on the middle of my forehead swelled. "Don't just throw stuff at me like that!" I accusingly pointed the spoon at him.

I was about to throw the spoon right back at him, when suddenly, someone pulled my leash and I was nearly choked to death. I sat on my bum, clutching the collar on my neck tightly. I turned towards the person that held my leash with a scowl on my face, growling and snarling at Poison Scorpion.

"You do not call Reborn a _'brat'_, Rin-chan." the scorpion lady said in a threatening voice, making me quiet down. I mean, I wasn't scared of her or anything, but Reborn's punishments were more bearable than Bianchi's. I wouldn't want to be poisoned by her cooking, for pete's sake!

I grumbled on my seat (which was the floor), as I heard Nana scold us, "No fighting while eating!" I eventually calmed down, but I still hated that brat for throwing a freakin' spoon at me. Suddenly, something hit my forehead again, and this time, I fell on my back. It seemed that Reborn threw something at me again, and I saw a fork fall on my side. My veins popped.

"I said no growling, Rinu." I heard the hitman brat say.

"You braaat!"

~Later; Tsuna's POV~

"Now, take good care of Rin-chan, alright, Tsuna?" Bianchi told me as she handed the assassin's leash over to me, while I took it with my trembling hands. _Why_, Reborn? Why did she have to come with us? She might kill me during school, damnit!

Rin started living in my house as punishment from Reborn, and I've never been so alert and scared in my entire life. I mean, can you imagine? She was an assassin that was supposed to kill me, and we're living under the same roof! We sleep in the same room even! Gah! I've had hard times sleeping at night just thinking that she would jump at me from her sleeping place. This was like a living nightmare!

"Oh, come on, brat," Rin started to complain, the said brat sitting on her head. "Why do I have to?"

"It's part of your punishment, Rinu," Reborn calmly replied. "So, don't complain."

Rin just grumbled and puffed her cheeks up as she crossed her arms in response, making me have an appalled look on my face. She was an assassin as far as I knew, but she acted like a child most of the time; it almost made her cute, if it weren't for the fact that she tried to kill me. She wore the Namimori Middle school uniform, which was a white long sleeved blouse with a dark blue sleeveless V-neck sweater on top, a black skirt, and black shoes with black long socks. There was supposed to be a red ribbon around her neck, under the collar, but she had her ribbon untied and loosely placed under the collar of her blouse.

Her pale, golden blond hair was tied up in a single ponytail, and she had brown eyes under her bangs. She was quite shorter than me, considering that she was a year or two younger than me. I wondered how Reborn got her to be in the same class as me. Nah, better not ask any questions to him. She held her satchel with her head, placing the shoulder strap on her forehead, over the plaster where she got hit by Reborn, as the satchel clung behind her. She kind of looked better this way, compared to her assassin clothes when we first met her.

Rin also had a choker around her neck, a kind of smaller collar than the one she was wearing with the leash. Amazingly, I once asked her about it, but she never actually told me anything about it. The conversation strangely branched out to why she called me _'Shoku'_ all the time, and it seemed it came from the word _'Kasshoku'_, which meant _'brown'_.

"Hey, tenth," I heard Gokudera call out to me from behind. "Is it really okay for that dog girl to come with us to school?"

I turned around to look at him, and I saw him with the usual school uniform. I had a terrified crying face as I looked at him, my hands tightly clenched around Rin's leash. Reborn told me to never hold it loosely, since Rin might escape and kill me. The threat was terrifying enough to make me remember to always hold on to Rin's leash tightly.

"R-Reborn told me she has to come along," I replied. "for my training, he says."

"Tch. Well, if Reborn says so, then I won't complain."

"Just shut up, old man. Just hearing your voice makes me want to punch you." Rin suddenly scoffed, making Gokudera snap.

"No, you shut up, you mutt! I can bomb you right now if I wanted to!"

"Then do it, geezer! And don't call me a mutt!"

The two continued bickering as we started to walk our way towards school, with Reborn still settled on Rin's head. I just silently watched at the two as I had a firm grip on Rin's leash, keeping a small distance away from the assassin.

_Sigh, this is going to be a long walk to school._, I thought, almost shrieking as I saw Gokudera threaten Rin with his dynamites. _A really, _really_ long walk._

* * *

><p><strong>And, <em>voila<em>! Chapie 3! I shall apologize for the very, very, very long wait, but please... Please review! It's motivation! :3**


End file.
